Human growth hormone (“hGH”) is a hormone secreted by the human pituitary glands. It consists of 191 amino acids and has a molecular weight of about 22,000. hGH is commonly administered to person with a deficiency of this hormone in order to promote growth of organ systems, such as the skeleton, connective tissue, muscles, liver, intestines, and kidneys.
hGH has been formulated for pharmaceutical administration through subcutaneous injection. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,885. These hGH formulations have generally included various excipients such as sugars, surfactants, preservatives, and salts. However, subcutaneous injection is frequently associated with pain and poor compliance. Therefore, an alternative delivery method that eliminates such disadvantages is desirable.
The transdermal patch offers a painless, more convenient, needle-free platform as an alternative to subcutaneous injections. The present invention encompasses formulations of hGH for administration using transdermal patches as well as methods of preparation of those formulations of hGH.